Rajasthan police said the cattle smugglers had opened fire at two barricades.
A man died in Rajasthan's Alwar during a shootout with a gang of cattle smugglers, the police have said. The shootout took place early this morning after the police tried to catch the men, who were on a Tata pick-up truck.
Earlier this week there had been a tip-off at the police station that stray cattle were being taken away at night by unknown people.
"Around 2 in the night, there was a tip-off that a red Tata truck was picking up stray cattle," a police officer said. The police immediately put up temporary barricades at three spots.
But the vehicle did not stop at any of the two check-points and the men opened fire on the police, he said. At the third check-point, when they again opened fire, the police fired back, in which one person in the truck was shot dead. The rest managed to escape.
"Around five to seven men were in the truck. They were firing from its roof and the passenger side window," the officer said.
The dead man is yet to be identified.
The police said there were five cows in the car. "They were trussed up and injured. We have called in a vet who is looking after them," the officer said.